Furniture construction



21 EVMORRIS y 7 5 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 19. v1925A Patented June 21, 1927.v

(UNITED STATI-:s vPA'IENT oFFIcE.

:EDMUND MoRR'Is, or GRAND RARIDS, MICHIGAN, AssIGNoR To GRAND RAPIDS STORE EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, or GRAN-D RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION F MICHIGAN.

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION.

Application led January 19, 192'5. Serial No. 3,320.

The present invention relates'to furniture construction; and itsgobject isto provide a spacing and connecting member for vertical furniture units or members whereby such units may be detachably connected in proper alignment and, when thus Connected, may present the appearance of a'unitary structure rather than the appearance of separate members or units joined together.

These and any other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter particularly described in the body of this specifica-tion and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of a furniture structure comprising adjacent vertical furniture units or members secured together by an intermediate spacing and connecting member;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View thereof taken on line 2 2 of Figure l; j

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same taken on line 8-'-3 of Figure l; and

Figure et is a view in perspective of the spacing and connecting member.

In the drawings, mutually adjacent portions of a pair of vertical furniture units or members l, 2-such as cabinets, bookcases or the likeare shown. These furniture units or members have the verticallyextending sides or walls 3, 4 respectively, provided with vertically-extending locking portions 5, 6 in the form of grooves, as particularly shown in Figure 2. The intermediate spacing and connecting member 7 for said furniture units or members l, 2, has at its opposite sides vertically-extendt-'U ing locking portions 8, 9, in the form of tongues as shown in Figures 2 and 4 and adapted to interlock, in the assembled position of all the members (illustrated in Figure 2) with the grooves 5, 6 of the furniture CSi members of the combined structure in alignment and against interrelative forward and rearward movement, when said spacing and connecting member, which may be secured as by nails l0 to the furniture unit at one side thereof, has been detachably secured as by screws ll to the furniture unit at its opposite side.

This spacing and Connecting member 7 units l, 2 respectively, and thus hold all the has a front or yface surface 12 at its outer edge, visible between the furniture units on its opposite sides, and thus provides a spacing element resembling a column orV post intermediate said units, thus contributing to the unitary appearance of the combined structure and differentiating the same in appearance from one composed of originally separa-te members connected together as the need for so doing may arise. The spacing and connecting member is desirably formed, throughout its length, in the same cross-sectional shape and dimensions as seen in Figure 4, the grooves 5, 6 of the furniture units corresponding cross-sectioni ally with the tongues 8, 9, so that, the tongues being uniform and the grooves also being uniform cross-sectionally, the spacing and connecting member may be applied either end'up and either side toward either of the furniture units l, 2. The spacing and connecting member being applied to furniture unit 2, the tongue 9 seated in the groove 6, the nails 10 are driven to secure these parts together, whereupon the furniture unit l may be assembled thereto, the tongue 8 seated in the groove 5, and the screws 1l Vapplied to detachably secure the unit l and the spacing and connecting member t0- gether, whereupon all the members l, 2 and 'r are securely held in perfect alignment.

A finishing strip 13 may be applied to the said assembled and connected members to cover the joints at their upper ends.

I claim:

l. In combination with a spacing and Connecting member for the furniture members hereinafter mentioned, furniture members on the opposite sides of said spacing and connecting member' each of said furniture members being provided with a longitudimilly-extending groove parallel with and adjacent vits front edge, the spacing and connecting member being provided adjacent and parallel with its front edge with longitudinally-extending tongues on its opposite sides engaging in said grooves respectively to hold all of said members against forward and rearward interrelative movement, the spacing and connecting member at its front edge being spaced inwardly from the front edges of the furniture members and spacing them apart at their front edges; means for securing all said members together.

2. In combination with a spacing and con necting member .for the 'furniture members hereinafter mentioned, furniture members onV the opposite sides ofsaid spacing and connecting member each of said furniture members being provided with a longitudinally-extending groove parallel with and adjacent its front edge, the spacing and connecting member being provided adjacent and parallel with its front. edge with longitudinally-extending tongues on its opposite sides engaging in said grooves respectively to hold all of said members against forward and rearward interrelative movement, the

vedge being spaced inwardly from'the front edges of the furniture members and spacing them apart at their Jfront edges; means forl securing the spacing and connecting member to the furniture member vat one side thereof and independent means'y for detachably securingv the spacing and connecting member to the other furniture member at the opposite side thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 6th day of January, 1925.V

EDMUND MORRIS. 

